What makes people tick? Find out this summer

There is no need to sacrifice time at the beach for study this summer as Victoria University’s most popular online course, Popular Psychology, is making a comeback.

"People really want an easy way to learn about the field of psychology, and this online course offers all of that—in addition to being fun and interesting, it's totally self-paced. Everything is online: the video lectures, readings, demonstrations and even the tests. You can do this course anywhere in the world you have internet access," says Professor Maryanne Garry from the School of Psychology.

The six week course brings a scientific perspective to social issues and addresses topics that are covered in the media, as well as enduring myths about human and animal behaviour.

Students will be able to get inside the criminal mind, explore facts about the human brain and delve into the question of whether animals can think, all at a time and place of their choosing.

"We started running PSYC101 in 2001 and it quickly became our most popular summer course. We stopped running it two years ago but people did love this course – so we are offering it again as part of the University’s Trimester Three programme."

The course runs from November 14 to December 20. All applicants are encouraged to apply online at www.victoria.ac.nz/tri3 before October 20.